FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
10th April 2011
Graphics and cartoons & liturgical material appear only in the printed version
REALISM
Just before the funeral service, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, ‘How old was your husband?’ ‘98,’ she replied, ‘Two years older than me’ ‘So you’re 96,’ the undertaker commented. She responded , ‘Hardly worth going home, is it?’
PLUNK, PLUNK, CLUNK
Johnny proudly drove his new VW Beetle convertible into town and had his shiny banjo nestling in the back seat. He had walked half way around the block from the parked car when he realised that the sunny weather had prompted him to leave the hood down... with his banjo in the back. He ran all the way back to his car, but it was too late.....another five banjos had been dumped in the car.
RETURNING TO ZIMBABWE (19)
Andrew Neaum
This is the nineteenth episode of an account of the recent trip to
Zimbabwe and Lesotho made by Diana and myself last October.
The previous episodes can be found on my website:
http://www.andrewneaum.com/articles.htm
The next morning we left the house of Mahershalalhashbaz and Abishag as early as was polite in order to visit a relative of our lovely Shepparton parishioners, Lynette and Handson Nhanhanga.
A family visit
Before I left Australia last year on my six month jaunt, Lynette and Handson used to ask me in periodically to feed both my stomach and my nostalgia with the Zimbabwean staple food, sadza (boiled ground maize), cooked as it ought to be cooked, as well as other delicious foodstuffs. On hearing of my proposed visit to Zimbabwe they asked me to visit their family there to assure them of the well being of their Australian relatives and to pass on a couple of gifts that they bought for them. I was of course delighted to oblige.
We made our way to Hatfield by way of Cranborne, a suburb in which my first secondary school is situated and through which I cycled for two and a half years, until I left that school to go to the bush school, Guinea Fowl near Gweru. The Widdicombe Road, down which I used to race each morning on my fixed-wheel bike, a road now renamed after some guerrilla leader of other, was instantly recognisable, its tall gum trees, or their descendants, still pleasingly distinctive. The potholed suburban roads and their prolifically littered verges were very different though, nasty enough for me to try to catch them on a photograph, but my camera didn’t or couldn’t do their nastiness justice. We passed a sign to my old school and ignored it for the time being, making our way to Lyn’s sister Caroline Maguta’s rented house in Hatfield, a rather pleasing, double storeyed place on a good sized plot of land. We arrived just after 9.00am and were made most welcome, Caroline proving to be a pretty young widow with one child, a son named Tatenda (meaning “we thank you”) whom we did not meet because he was at school. Caroline’s brother, Talent Tapfira, was also there. He lives in Norton, about forty kilometres from Harare in Handson’s house, and had left early in the morning to support his sister in entertaining a pair of total strangers from the distant land of Oz. Also present was the “maid” and companion, Mai waEddie, (in short, mai Eddie) of whom Handson says: “I don’t her first name, as you know .... adults are rarely called by their first names in Zimbabwe (we just call her mai Eddie meaning Eddie’s mother, this because her first born is named Eddie) just as at home people call me baba waComfort and Lyn mai waComfort (in short baba Comfort and mai Comfort).”
Shona hospitality
We were ushered in and sat down to chat. This proved easy enough to do, for the Shona people are sociable folk and we were able to talk animatedly about a variety of things, but especially of our respective families and of course about Handson, Lyn, Comfort and Blessing, so far away in Australia. We soon realised that traditional Shona hospitality was about to be granted to us, for Caroline periodically disappeared and delicious cooking odours began to waft into the room. Sure enough, before long mai Eddie and Caroline brought in a great plate of breakfast for each of us, bacon, egg and Vienna sausage. We demolished it with great pleasure. We left well after 10.00am, with a tight schedule for the day, but not before we had a quick look over the garden which had a quota of vegetables to admire, just as Handson and Lyn’s garden in Shepparton does, another characteristic of the Shona people. It was a lovely visit, and the hard work and courage required of Caroline to work full time as well as to care for and bring up a son on her own in a fraught country impressed both Diana and me.
Before heading to Gatooma for a quick look over my first parish, we decided to make time to visit both my first Secondary School, Cranborne Boy’s High, and the hostel for “Missionaries Children” where I boarded while attending that school, if it still existed in any form. The hostel used to be called, if I remember rightly, “The Africa Missionary Fellowship”, but also “Shepherd House”. It was run by a non-practising woman doctor called Mabel Lindsay Glegg and her almost totally blind husband, Donal Lindsay Glegg, who before going blind had been an artist. They were Baptists and the whole atmosphere of the place was very evangelical and “protty”. All three Neaum children were sent to the hostel and none of them appreciated it at all. My desire to search the place out was far from nostalgic then, it was more curiosity.
The Africa Missionary Fellowship
My sister Susan, the oldest of the three of us, was sent there first. Our arrival in Rhodesia at the end of 1956 had meant that she was the only one of us due to go directly to secondary school, and my parents thought that the shock of having to leave home for the first time would be mitigated a little if she went to a homely, Christian establishment rather than a government boarding school. They were wrong. She disliked the place intensely as indeed did my brother and I when we eventually joined her. It is hard to know quite why, but it would have had something to do with it being such a great cultural jolt. Most of the children were Americans, the sons and daughters of missionaries serving as far away as Ethiopia, and Americans, much as I admire them and am glad that during my lifetime America has been the world’s most powerful nation, are very different from the English, especially little pommie children who had lately been cocooned for three and a half years on the loneliest island in the world. It wasn’t only that, however. It was also to do with religion. Even as children we were Anglican to the very marrow. This first exposure to evangelical Protestantism innoculated us all against it for the rest of our lives. It was all too emotional, “in your face”, bible-bashing, puritanical, and hypocritical to bear. We loathed it. Our doughty mother conspired with us to subvert the place, advising us at any obligatory “prayer meetings” to recite Cranmer’s incomparable Collects rather than to recycle the more usual cliché’s that masquerade as spontaneity!
To my great surprise we actually found the place, and with little difficulty. There has been much suburban development around it, but the large tract of land upon which the home was sited has been walled round and in the centre, beyond some new buildings, there remained, somewhat the worse for wear, the Dutch gabled homestead that was the core of the hostel in our time. It is now a Ministers’ Training Centre, for the Church of Christ, I think. We drove in and had a stroll round, noting the roof upon which, in bright moonlight, we used to hold midnight feasts, and the kitchen which produced unforgettable horrors such as burnt porridge, grey mince and peas in cubes of aspic, and nogs of potato in thin cheese sauce. We possibly identified too the old garage where Mrs Lindsay Glegg used to park her Jaguar car, into which we sneaked at night to listen on its wireless to pop music from Radio Lourenço Marques and smoke cheap cigarettes. The sort of escapades which, combined with my brother’s insolent air, lead to him and me being asked to leave in the middle of 1961! My sister had already moved on to better things.
After a good look round, I shook the dust off my sandals as we left to have a quick look at Cranborne Boys High School, of which I was a foundation member. In our day it stood stark and new in the middle of grassland, it is now surrounded by suburbs, at least from the vantage point from which we viewed it and I could hardly recognise it. They have also upgraded its badge and motto. In my day the badge featured a fighter plane in flight from the front over the motto “Reach for the Sky”, a tribute I think to an air force base once associated with the area. The fighter plane has now been changed to a fierce looking eagle and the motto Latinised to “Nitamur ad caelum”. It was a rough school in my day and I wouldn’t have thought any poncy Latinising of its motto could have much changed that. However, if the change was in honour of Mr Leach, my own Latin teacher there, and a fine fellow indeed, I would be happy to accept the change with grace. (To be continued)
CONGRATULATIONS
Birthdays:
Gladys Petschack 13th April
Daphne Clark 13th April
WELCOME
We welcome into our Church family by way of baptism today: Sienna Rose Nobles-Laird and Braden William Walsh. We also warmly welcome their family and friends and if strangers to us we trust that they will enjoy their encounter with us here at St Augustine’s.
CONGRATULATIONS
Please pray for Nathalie and Cameron, a lovely couple who were married here at St Augustine’s yesterday. Cameron is the grandson of Shirley Dean.
LENT: LIVING NOW AND THEN
The Lenten Studies continue, for the times see the weekly program on the back page.
THE ADVOCATE RETURNS
There are copies of the Diocesan Advocate in the Narthex. Defunct for months it has been resurrected in a new format and is likely to be in regular production again from now on.
PALM CROSS MAKING
The strangely satisfying pastime of Palm Cross making will take place on Saturday morning, the 16th April at 10.00am. Join us please.
WELL DONE EMILY
Emily Shields, our Choral Scholar, has been selected to participate in a Leadership Course for nine weeks and so we will be missing her for that period of time after Easter. We look forward to her return. She is the most delightful of young women and with a lovely voice to complement her many gifts. When all are present our choir makes some sweet music, and often when all are not present too. We could do with a bit more depth. Always encourage anyone with a voice to join us please. The offer of a scholarship for young folk still stands. A thousand dollars a year.
FRIENDSHIP
The Friendship Group meets on Tuesday 19th at 2.00pm in the Narthex, all are welcome.
EVENING GUILD
The Evening Guild meets on Thursday 21st at 1.30pm in Roz’s Room, all are welcome.
GOOD GRIEF
The Grief Support Group “Moving On” meets on April 12th in the Library to view an excellent D.V.D. entitled “The Note Book”
NEWS OF JOHN HORDER
I hope to visit my Churchwarden John Horder, in the “Peter Mac” hospital next week. Kate tells me that when they took out the tube in his neck he found that he could actually talk, an unexpected gift that delighted them all not least John himself. He sounds a bit thick, she says, as if he has been to the dentist and she goes on to say that his tongue is still very swollen. Apparently the surgeons have told him that he will not be eating for three weeks and then it will be only very small amounts. He has made marvellous progress though. Hold him in your prayers.
THINKING & LEARNING THE FAITH
On April 30th in Seymour there is a session of the “St. Columb’s Travelling Ministry Fair” . Anyone who would like to attend this day please contact Heather Fitzgerald or the office. The session will continue to focus on three constituencies: nurturing current church members, bringing back people who call themselves Anglican, but only worship occasionally and reaching out to people who might say they are “spiritual but not religious.” It also provides an opportunity to mingle with like-minded Christians and Anglicans. A rewarding experience.
PALM SUNDAY
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week the liturgical and devotional heart of the Christian year. Those of us not going away should throw themselves into all the worship and activity of this wonderful week that culminates in the joy of Easter Day.
An “extra” that is peculiar to this part of the world is the ecumenical gathering on Mount Major, Dookie. See the Notice Board for details, but it is a lovely worshipful occasion at an incomparable venue as the sun sets. There will be palm fronds and dress-ups, a pretend donkey (a quiet pony) for children and others who wish to take part in the actual service (arrive by 4.30pm to get into costume for this).
FOR HOSPICE
This bi-annual fund raising function will be held at the EAST BANK CENTRE on Tuesday 17th May at 1.30pm. Tickets $25. For tickets and table reservations please contact Pat Gibson 58313080. All profit to the G.V. Hospice Care Service.
OLD FASHIONED EASTER PICNIC
On April 17th at 12 noon we will be holding an Old Fashioned Easter Picnic, please bring a plate of food to share and be ready to enjoy, egg & spoon, 3 legged and sack races as well as table games, beetle, the Townsend game and so on for those who do not wish to be active and mind. It should be great fun, do come along.
LITTLE SLABS OF ANNUAL LEAVE
Our Associate priest is away from the 9th of April till the 16th. The Rector from the 27th of April till the 7th of May.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Apr 17th Old Fashioned Easter Picnic
April 19th Friendship Group meeting Narthex 2pm
Apr 20th Parish Council
April 21st Evening Guild meeting Roz’s Room 1.30pm
April 30th Garden Working Bee
April 30th St. Columb’s Travelling Fair/Seymou
May 10th Junior Confirmation Classes begin r
May 12th G.V Health Ext. Care film afternoon & lunch
May 15th Hospice Service 2.00pm
May 17th Hospice Bi-annual Fund Raising Function
May 22nd Patronal Festival
May 26th Raffle Sub-Committee meeting
May 28th Garden Working Bee
June 3rd Synod
June 4th Synod
June 16th Parish Fair Planning Group meeting 4pm
June 25th Garden Working Bee
July 17th Bishop’s Visit
July 30th Garden Working Bee
Aug 20th Wedding
Aug 27th Garden Working Bee
Sept 24th Wedding
Sept 24th Garden Working Bee
Oct 1st Wedding 2pm
Oct 8th Wedding 2pm
Oct 8th Wedding 3.30pm
Oct 22nd Parish Fair & Garden Party
Oct 23rd Confirmation
Oct 29th Wedding
Oct 29th Garden Working Bee
Dec 10th Wedding
READINGS for Palm Sunday 17th April
Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
At the beginning of each month this list is cleared and ALL names need putting down again on the list in the narthex and signed in. No names should be listed without a person’s permission. The list for names of those to be prayed for is kept in the top drawer of the little plastic box of drawers on the narthex table.
Nicole Ackland, Alan Akers, Lorraine Ashbury, Jeffrey Andrewartha, Deb Bagley, John Ball, Shelly Bartlett, Jan Black, Liam Bognar, Kaye Boyle, Ian Carman, Tom Downie, Kath Grills, Frank Harder, Margaret Hoare, Katherine Holt, John & Kate Horder, Jack Halsall, Dot Hunter, Ross Judd, Glenda Kuehnapfel, Hilder Lidgard, Margaret Kidman, Lynn Morcam, Albert Oxenbury, Isabelle Richards, Peter Swindells, Suzanne Singh, Patricia Sparkes, Shirley Young, David, David & Judith, Belinda, Bonny, Stewart, Harry, Amanda, Michael, Peter, Leone & Darryl, Lewis, Rhianna.
Anniversary of death
Ethel Robertson, Maisie Lear, Nancy Tacey, Minnie Laslett 11th Thomas Cochran, Alf Taig, Alan Batey 14th, Jake Green, Mary Howard, Geoffrey Bowen, Robert Moss, Erma Wilson, Christine Beard, Dreven Lines 15th.
Duties for 10th April 2011
Readers 8.30 Heather Pearson, Pat Griffin
Readers 10.30 Courtney Craven, Charlotte Brewer
Servers 8.30 Beth, Michelle
Servers 10.30 Greg, Joe, Zebedee
Intercessors Victoria Heenan, Children
Euc. Assts 8.30 Heather Fitzgerald, Carole Henderson
Euc. Assts 10.30 Christine Evans, Joe Fernandez
Welcoming 8.30 Shirley Dean, Bev Reither
Welcomers 10.30 Nola Brewer, Jenny Moran
Sidespeople 8.30 Trevor Batey, Joy Campbell
Sidespeople 10.30 Nola Brewer, volunteer please
Welcome Table Dorothy Cook
Tea 8.30 Val Bambrook
Altar Linen for Apri Rosemary & Pat
Mowing 11th Merv Cowland, Trevor Batey
Monday Office Dorothy Cook
Duties for 17th April 2011
Readers 8.30 Gwyn Cowland,
Readers 10.30 Christine Jones, Christine Evans
Servers 8.30 Michelle, Beth
Servers 10.30 Joan, Bethany, Sophie
Intercessors Pat Griffin, Nancy Noonan
Euc. Assts 8.30 John Griffin
Euc. Assts 10.30 Joe Fernandez, Greg Pestell
Welcoming 8.30 Beryl Goodfellow, Bev Ralph
Welcomers 10.30 Frank Steen, Sandra Simonis
Sidespeople 8.30 Joe Pearson, Norm Mitchelmore
Sidespeople 10.30 John Pleming
Welcome Table Dorothy
Altar Linen for April Rosemary & Pat
Tea 8.30 Bev Reither
Mowing None this week
Monday office Barbara Brown, Bob Galt
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
Monday 11th April
Rector’s day off,
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
1.30pm Lent Group - Library
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
Tuesday 12th April
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
10.00am Playgroup - Roz’s Room
11.00am Shepparton Aged Care- Anne Russell
7.00pm Lenten Eucharist
7.30pm Lenten Study
7.30pm Grief Support Group “Moving On”
Wednesday 13th April
7.45am Mattins only - Lady Chapel
10.00am Eucharist - St Augustine’s
2.00pm Vestry
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
5.30pm Hospice
6.00pm EfM/Roz’s Room
Thursday 14th April
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
11.00am Eucharist - Harmony
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
5.30pm Choir Practice
Friday 15th April
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
Saturday 16th April
Associate Priest’s Day off
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
6.00pm Vigil Eucharist - Lady Chapel
Palm Sunday - 6th Sunday in Lent 17th April
8.30am Sung Eucharist - St Augustine’s
10.30am Eucharist - St Augustine’s
12 noon Old Fashioned Easter Picnic
8.45am Eucharist - Dookie
10.45am Eucharist- Katandra
5.30pm Evening Prayer